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Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 13 No. sp7 (2026): International Conference on Agricultural Sustainability

Persistent phenotypic segregation and genotype-level random amplified polymorphic DNA diversity in the first selfed generation of farmer-collected melon (Cucumis melo L.)

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.14367
Submitted
4 March 2026
Published
31-08-2026

Abstract

Farmer-collected melon (Cucumis melo L.) germplasm is widely cultivated but often exhibits high genetic heterogeneity, which complicates early-generation selection in breeding programmes. This study evaluated the persistence of phenotypic segregation at the individual plant level and genetic heterogeneity at the genotype level in the first selfed (S1) generation derived from heterogeneous farmer-maintained populations. Ten S1 genotypes were grown under uniform greenhouse conditions during a single evaluation season conducted in 2025. Qualitative and quantitative morphological traits were recorded for individual S1 plants and converted into binary variables using predefined biological thresholds. Genetic relationships among S1 genotypes were assessed using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers, scored as band presence (1) or absence (0), from pooled DNA samples for each genotype. Phenotypic similarity among individual plants was calculated using Jaccard’s similarity coefficient and hierarchical clustering was performed using the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) based on qualitative, quantitative and combined binary phenotypic datasets. Genotype-level genetic relationships were inferred using Jaccard’s similarity and UPGMA clustering of RAPD data. Phenotypic clustering revealed pronounced individual-level segregation with plants originating from the same S1 genotype rarely formed cohesive clusters, indicating substantial within-genotype variation after a single selfing cycle. The RAPD analyses revealed marked multilocus heterogeneity among S1 genotypes, with only partial grouping in the combined analysis. These results demonstrate that extensive phenotypic segregation persists in S1 plants, while RAPD-based evidence indicates substantial genetic heterogeneity among genotypes, suggesting that reliable selection for uniformity should be deferred to later selfed generations.

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